News & Important Information

Update on K-9 Compliance

Posted: 1/11/2019

To date, nearly 200 canine teams have registered with the new on-line canine scheduler. Thanks to all for your patience throughout this new process. If you have questions concerning the on-line registration, instructions can be found on our website under the Narcotics Detection Canine Requalification Standards. You can also call LETAC at (217) 726-7014.

As a reminder, all ILETSB requalification’s and initial certifications are conducted at no cost to the agency or canine team.

We previously discussed phase 2 of the canine project which involves initial training. There is much more to follow on this in the upcoming months. As a reminder, effective January 1, 2019, all newly trained canine teams are required to contact LETAC at (217) 726-7014 to schedule their initial certification test. Click here for a list of approved canine entities.

As you are aware, effective January 1, 2019, the process for annual canine re-qualifications has changed. The old Annual Recertification Form was removed from the website, but we have received numerous inquiries from agencies who have not yet submitted their 2018 certification documents. Click here to retrieve the Annual recertification Form if you are filing for 2018 recertification. Be sure to send the completed form, along with a scanned copy of the certificate of completion of training ptb.applications@illinois.gov .

All 2018 recertifications must be filed by January 31, 2018.

Narcotic Detection Canine Requalification Standards

Posted: 12/20/2018

Just a reminder. Effect January 1, 2019, the new annual K-9 requalification standards will be implemented throughout the state.

Click here to view the designated canine test sites for the 2019 compliance testing. The eight sites identified in green are offering testing at various times throughout the year. Contact your local MTU for additional information.

FY 19 – ILETSB Camera Grant Program

Posted: 12/13/2018

The Board is happy to announce that next round of camera grant awards is being prepared. Under this program, funds will be available to reimburse law enforcement agencies for officer-worn and in-car cameras purchased after July 1, 2018 and put into use before June 30, 2019. CAMERAS PURCHASED PRIOR TO JULY 1, 2018 ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT. Currently, the Board has authorized $1 million from the Camera Grant Fund to be used for this purpose. Like the previous program, all agencies must be GATA approved prior to receiving any funds and only itemized cameras (not storage or optional hardware) and associated training are eligible for reimbursement.

Initial applications for this round will be posted to the Board’s website beginning in early January of 2019 and awards are expected to be announced in early February. Depending on the availability of funds, additional rolling applications may be accepted further into 2019 with awards announced before the close of the State’s fiscal year on June 30, 2019.

Agencies intending to apply for these grant funds must be prepared to submit the following:

Receipts of purchase and payment dated after July 1, 2018

The make, model and serial number for all cameras requested for reimbursement

Proof of implementation (body-worn) and or installation (in-car) prior to 6-30-19

Demographic data as requested by the Board

Proof of pre-qualification as required under GATA (Note: This may take several weeks if not already approved.)

Effective 01-01-2012, under 50 ILCS 705/10.11, only law enforcement officers who successfully complete the 40-hour Lead Homicide Investigator training program may be assigned as lead investigators in homicide investigations. Additionally, the Board has developed an LHI training waiver process for officer’s who’s extensive training and experience may qualify them a waiver.

All Lead Homicide Investigators (LHIs) certified by the Training Board are required to obtain 32 hours of approved LHI in service training in a 4 year period from the date of their certification.

The Training Board has approved many in-service classes for LHI certificate renewal. Agencies are responsible for ensuring LHIs attend approved classes. Below is the current list of in-service classes approved for Lead Homicide Investigator re-certification. However, please check with your local MTU and/or the Executive Institute to get the most up-to-date list of LHI approved classes being offered in your region, as additional classes are being added on a regular basis. List of approved (or tentatively approved) LHI classes.

It is suggested that agencies submit their Lead Homicide Investigator’s recertification paperwork no sooner than 6 months and no later than 3 months prior to the end of the 4th year.

A copy of the LHI recertification form can be found by clicking here - Recertification .

Conor's Law - ILETSB Model Policy Available

Posted: 6/7/2018

Conor's Law - ILETSB Model Policy on the Response and Release of Individuals Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol: Last year, PA 100-537 was passed requiring the Board to create a model policy to train law enforcement officers on how to respond to individuals who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of an arrest - with special considerations for those under age 21. After researching the general issues, discussions with stakeholders, and an invitation for public comment, we are pleased to share this model policy with the law enforcement community. While law enforcement agencies are not mandated to make any changes under this law, we believe that this model policy stands as an example of how to balance several concerns while maintaining the safety interests of the detainee. This document will be permanently available in the new section of the Board’s website for “Model Policies” under the “Resources” tab.

Statement from Director Fischer on Canines and Cannabis training

Posted: 5/16/2018

There has been a growing concern among law enforcement over the possible impact the legalization of cannabis would have on narcotics detection dogs. Although we recognize the legalization of cannabis could create a number of issues for those narcotics detection dogs in service at the time if it is legalized, we must continue to follow current Illinois law. The current Illinois law requires “all police dogs used by State and local law enforcement agencies for drug enforcement purposes pursuant to the Cannabis Control Act, the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, and the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act shall be trained by programs that meet the minimum certification requirements set by the Board.” To meet the “minimum certification requirements”, all narcotics detection dogs must be trained to detect marijuana/hashish, cocaine, heroin/opiate derivatives, and methamphetamine.

Please note: The following changes to the instructor approval application process applies only to instructors teaching in the full-time or part-time academy. The process for instructor approval applications for in-service training remains the same.

Effective March 1, 2018, ILETSB will be accepting electronically submitted Approved Academy Instructor Applications as the primary method of submission. This new protocol will reduce staff time, allow for permanent records to be shared by the entire organization, and most importantly, ensure retention of permanent records. The process for receiving, retaining, and responding to those electronic applications are as follows:

Academy Director or Mobile Training Unit Coordinator locates the electronic Instructor Application on the ILETSB website under the “Resources” tab on the splash page, selecting “Forms & Information” from the drop down box, and scrolling to the “Applications for Instructors” section of the page, until they find “Application for Instructor - Form C.” Instructions for the application are found on the first page of the form, and at the top of each section.

Submit the form and any scanned supporting documentation via email to PTB.Applications@illinois.gov. Applications may only be submitted by the MTU or the Academy, not by 3rd parties such as private companies or individuals.

If any supporting material is lacking, or additional clarification is required, those questions will be directed via email to the email address from which the original application was submitted. This will ensure ILETSB will have a permanent record of a single communication string.

Approval letters will be provided electronically to the email address provided by the application submitter.

160-Hour Basic Court Security Officer Course Temporarily Suspended

Posted: 11/7/2017

Please be advised that the 160-hour Basic Court Security Officer course has been suspended for a short time.

This will allow time for the review and update of the instructional blocks affected by the new 560 PTBLE curriculum.

Departments with court security officers in need of training will be given the option of sending their officers through the 200-hour Basic Correctional Officer training, in order to meet the 12 month training deadline.

Please check back for an update on the website in late 2019, announcing when the BCSO course has been updated and will again be available.

Update on the 560-hr Part-Time Basic Law Enforcement Training

As you may recall, the part-time academy was temporarily suspended until the new 560 hour curriculum was developed. The Board is happy to report that the full-time 560-hour course is now up and running and the part-time academy is nearly complete. We anticipate a January 1, 2018, implementation date for the part-time program.

There will be some new requirements introduced in order to professionalize and improve the new part-time academy. You will need to contact your Mobile Team Unit (MTU) Coordinator for details. Please keep in mind that due to monetary and personnel limitations, not all MTUs will be able to offer the part-time training program. Agencies interested in enrolling a recruit in the part-time academy must perform the following tasks:

File a FORM E, Notice of Appointment form with the Board office, which shows the initial date of active employment for the recruit and enables ILETSB to assign the officer a Police Training Board Identification Number (PTBID#), which is required for all paperwork.

Contact the Mobile Team Unit (MTU) offering the Part-Time Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy to request an enrollment packet for your recruit.

Once you have completed the enrollment packet and returned it to the MTU by the part-time academy enrollment deadline, you will need to request a POWER test date. Be advised that within 6 months from the recruit's initial date of hire, they must successfully pass the POWER test to become enrolled in the part-time academy. Failure to meet this first hurdle of successfully passing the POWER test by the 6 month deadline and/or the academy enrollment deadline will automatically prevent the recruit from being enrolled in the course.(Note: Doctors release forms are good for 60 days only). Many MTUs have pre-set POWER test dates to coincide with the start date of their part-time academy. Those dates may be found posted on their individual websites.

In addition, the 40-hour MFT requirement must be met within 6 months from the initial date of employment. (65 ILCS 710/2). Contact your MTU for a schedule of course offerings

With the increase in curriculum hours, compounded by the fact that minimum and maximum student enrollment requirements will be established, space in some classes may be limited so the Board recommends that Chiefs and Sheriffs coordinate with their respective MTU Directors for start dates. This will ensure time requirements are satisfied.

We look forward to the implementation of the new part-time program. Feel free to contact Jan Allen or Deputy Director Patrick Connolly, if you have questions. Please watch for additional information in the near future.

**End Update

Posted 4/20/2017:

Please be advised that the Board has decided that the new 560-hour Part-Time BLE would be suspended until January 1, 2018. Therefore, once the existing PT BLE courses are concluded using the current curriculum, there will be a break in PT BLE training for a few months. This will allow time for the Executive Institute and their staff at Western Illinois University to update the online training modules.

Departments with PT officers in need of Basic Law Enforcement training will be given two options:

Enroll their officer(s) in the January 2018 PTBLE courses through their local MTU. They will need to submit a request to the Board for an extension of any deadlines for Basic Law Enforcement Training. These extension requests will be granted due to the temporary suspension of the program. However, please note that the 6 month deadline for both the mandatory firearms course and passing the POWER Test still applies. Additionally, if more than 45 days passes after the POWER test, the recruit will be required to pass the POWER test before the start of the academy.

Hire their officer(s) at FT status, enroll them in one of the FT academies to complete the 560 hour Basic Law Enforcement course, and then submit a Form E to drop them back to PT status once they successfully complete the BLE and return to work at the department.

Announcing Director's Corner

Posted: 8/1/2017

It is Director Fischer’s hope that this direct contact with his office will help eliminate the “rumor mill” and will help facilitate open and effective communication between the Board office and the law enforcement community across the State of Illinois.

You may use this form to ask Director Fischer a question, obtain clarification on a Board-related topic, express a concern, or submit a request. All submissions will go straight to the Director’s office, and you will receive an accurate response, in a timely manner.

Any agency-specific questions will be answered privately. However, if a general question is asked, and the answer may be beneficial to other agencies using this site, the response will be sent to the individual asking the question, and also posted as an announcement on the front page.

Please note that any submission which constitutes a FOIA request will be treated as such, and the response will come from our FOIA Officer within 5 business days.

Body Camera Reports

Posted: 4/21/2017

Pursuant to 50 ILCS 706/10-25 each law enforcement agency that utilizes body worn cameras must provide a report to the Board by May 1 of each year indicating the number of cameras in use, the number of officers who have used body worn cameras, technical issues encountered with the use of such cameras and the review process used by supervisors. For each instance in which a body camera was used in a prosecution, the agency must indicate the date, time, location, offense and charging date. In an effort to simplify the collection of this data, ILETSB requests that this data be provided on the attached chart. Completed reports for the 2016 calendar year, including the accompanying chart, can be emailed to Jennifer Wooldridge at jennifer.wooldridge@illinois.gov

Information on Board Approved Guidelines for In-Service Training related to special interest legislation

Posted: 10/26/2016

In September 2016 the Board adopted the following policy:

When determining minimum in-service training requirements that a police officer must satisfactorily complete, only Board Certified courses that comply with Board approved guidelines will be considered.

Board Policy Adopted September 22, 2016

Pursuant to Board Policy adopted in December 2013 all in-service courses shall be delivered and certified through the Mobile Team system unless the course and/or venue is approved by the Board on an individual basis. The Mobile Teams shall have the option of providing all in-service courses. If the Mobile Team declines the delivery of any course within its region for reasons other than duplication, the Board may determine whether the course is otherwise certifiable and/or reimbursable based upon the best interests of law enforcement. Board certificates may be provided to individuals that the Mobile Training unit can identify as having successfully completed a Board-certified course.

For additional information on having a training certified please contact the Regional Mobile Training Team Unit where the training is to be held.

Annual Firearms Qualification and Use of Force Training

Posted: 10/17/2016

Part of any law enforcement officer’s Annual Firearms Training is a review of the agency’s Use of Force policy as well as training on use of force guidelines and statutes. For the past few years, the Board has provided a Use of Force brochure which can be found on our website as a PDF form – printable by the agency. Just recently, the Board has added an on-line Use of Force training for those agencies utilizing LEDI.

All Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) are required to document the Annual Firearms and Use of Force training on their personnel roster either in its paper form or via LEDI. Should an agency wish to access the on-line Use of Force training, the agency MUST be enrolled in LEDI. If you’d like to enroll in LEDI, please click here or contact your Board-assigned Field Rep.

Information on Private Auxiliary/Reserve Police Organizations

Posted: 9/29/2016

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, in cooperation with the U.S. Marshals Service, Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Department of Justice, and the Illinois State Police, is conducting an investigation into non-governmental, legally unrecognized, and unauthorized "auxiliary/reserve police organizations" offering "police assistance, services, and employees" to county and local police agencies. Certain illicit organizations have been successful in convincing law enforcement agencies that they are legitimate. These organizations have also attempted to create an appearance of authority through financial records and other "legal" documents to avoid constitutional requirements establishing real law enforcement authority for the use of police powers. Since this Board is responsible for the certification of all law enforcement personnel in the State of Illinois, we wanted you to be aware of this situation in order to avoid jeopardizing the safety and security of your community.

Attention Veterans Interested In Illinois Law Enforcement

Posted: 7/1/2016

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) Intern Program is perfect for Veterans seeking a career in law enforcement.

This program has been developed in response to law enforcement administrators seeking a pool of trained and certified candidates available for service. It is ideal for veterans seeking a career in law enforcement. Successful Intern applicants attend a basic law enforcement training academy and, upon passing the State Certification examination, will receive ILETSB State Certification. Interns are integrated into classes with sworn officers and receive the same training. The Intern application process is currently available at Southwestern Illinois Police Academy. This program is for Illinois residents only and seats are limited. Applicants must have valid Illinois driver's license and Illinois Firearms Owner Identification card.

a) Tuition covered by Illinois Veteran's Grant and GI Bill for qualified applicants. In some cases housing and other costs can be covered too.

b) 90-95% of Interns (1/3 are Veterans), have been hired as part-time or full-time peace officers.

c) Receive college credit that may be applied to Southwestern Illinois College’s Administration of Justice AAS Degree.

ILETSB Investigators

Posted: 6/28/2016

Pursuant to the Illinois Police Training Act (50 ILCS 705/6.1), the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board is authorized to appoint Investigators to enforce the responsibilities conferred upon the Board by law or rule. These investigators are certified law enforcement officers possessing the authority of peace officers and have all the same powers possessed by municipal and county officers.

The Board’s Field Representatives are all appointed as Investigators as are other Board staff members to include both the Deputy Director and Executive Director. All investigators possess law enforcement credentials.

Field Representatives work with agencies to provide assistance on many issues and are the “eyes and ears” of the Board. As Board investigators, they work to ensure that all law enforcement agencies under the authority of the Board are in compliance with all Board requirements such as background investigations, mandated basic and in-service training, and mandated reporting. Board Investigators work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement investigators to conduct possible criminal investigations.

Professional Conduct Database

Posted: 6/28/2016

Pursuant to 50 ILCS 705/6.2, all law enforcement agencies shall notify the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (aka the Board) within 30 days of any final determination of willful violation of department or agency policy, official misconduct, or violation of law when:

(1) the officer is discharged or dismissed as a result of the violation; or

(2) the officer resigns during the course of an investigation and after the officer has been served noticed that he or she is under investigation that is based on the commission of a Class 2 or greater felony. This includes violations of Illinois statutes or statutes of other state or federal agencies when the elements of the offense are substantially similar to an Illinois criminal offense which is a Class 2 or greater felony.

To facilitate the reporting, the Board has developed several documents which can be found in the FORMS section of our website and also on LEDI.

County Probation Officers Mandatory Firearms Training

Posted: 4/5/2016

The Board will be providing the 40-hour Mandatory Firearms Training to approved County Probation Officers per P.A. 098-0725. In order to be approved for such training, the Chief Judge of the Judicial Circuit must designate each officer to be authorized to carry a firearms and eligible to attend the MFT. A letter outlining the procedure to follow can be found HERE.

"Use of Force" Brochures

Posted: 11/1/2015

The Training Board has developed a Use of Force brochures for all agencies use during the annual firearms qualification of youractive officers.

On December 12th, 2013, pursuant to the requirement of P.A. 098-0311, the Board has approved the training standards for Animal Abuse and Cruelty; Canine Behavior and Officer Response courses. The standard will be shared with Basic Law Enforcement academies and MTUs. Click HERE to obtain the standards.

Board Meetings

Next Meeting:

March13-142019

Meeting Location:

Springfield, Illinois

Last Meeting:

East Peoria, Illinois

Since 2003, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) has provided state-certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to law enforcement officers throughout Illinois. To date, the ILETSB has certified over 5700 officers statewide, from more than 350 agencies in this specialized program.

In accordance with the Federal Act, Illinois passed Public Act 94-103 (2005) that provides for the annual certification of retired law enforcement officers qualified under federal law to carry a concealed weapon.

Through innovative education, training, research, and services the Executive Institute will guide the law enforcement community to achieve higher standards and professional development that will enhance their mission of providing professional law enforcement services to their constituents.

The Law Enforcement Document Exchange (LEDI) is a web-based application that allow users (Law Enforcement Agencies and States Attorneys offices) to access their personnel roster, firearms re-qualification roster and to submit notices of appointment/separation.

For more information or to sign up for LEDI, please visit our LEDI Information page.